GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Shares Sold by Sandy Spring Bank

Sandy Spring Bank lowered its position in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) by 26.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,437 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 528 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in GSK were worth $49,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in GSK by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 711 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co increased its position in GSK by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 750 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in GSK in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in GSK by 195.5% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 789 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in GSK in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

GSK Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GSK opened at $39.22 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.52. GSK plc has a 12 month low of $31.72 and a 12 month high of $45.93.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.15. GSK had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 8.13%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that GSK plc will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.3932 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. GSK’s payout ratio is 98.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GSK. StockNews.com raised GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.25.

GSK Company Profile

GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, and manufacture of vaccines, and specialty and general medicines to prevent and treat disease in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Commercial Operations and Total R&D.